The invention relates to processes for preparing beef for cooking and in particular for cooking on a vertical rotisserie. The invention also relates to the process equipment used for preparing the aforementioned beef, and in particular to the novel and unique key process equipment used in this novel and unique process.
The inventor is also the inventor of the vertical rotisserie of U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,341 issued Sept. 14, 1971, for which this process for preparing beef has been successfully developed, along with the special key process equipment needed to process the beef in accordance with the process procedure.
This process concerns the use of beef only, and should not be confused with various processes which use lamb or other meats. No one in the past has been able to process beef in a manner that could be successfully cooked on a vertical rotisserie, because beef has been found to be difficult to prepare. This process has been developed after long experimental trials to arrive finally at the present process which works and which does not crack and break up during cooking.
In the prior art the meat (beef) cracked at the base and fell apart as other balls of meat were placed on the skewer of the vertical rotisserie and then cooked. When lamb is used it has a sticky consistency and sticks together, but beef does not. In the prior art, the use of lamb and other meats provided characteristics that aided in the preparation and the cooking, however, the taste of lamb was not desirable in a beef product; more people, however, like beef.
In the prior art for preparing beef, the meat to be used was selected, the beef was ground, flavoring ingredients added and mixed into the ground meat, then the mixture was formed into a ball-shaped lump by hand and put on the skewer of the vertical rotisserie and pushed down to a metal bottom plate. Then another ball was formed and placed on the skewer and pushed down to the top of the second ball.
This process above continued until four or five balls of meat were on the skewer. Each ball of meat was mashed down to interface with the ball of meat below. Some meat of each ball squeezed out all around, and the bottom ball of meat was cracked and squeezed down thinner than the others. Each successive layer was thinner than the layer above. Some of the bottom ball of meat would hang down over the metal plate at the bottom of the skewer.
Next, in the above process, the meat outside the bottom metal plate was trimmed off. The trimming of the meat above the plate sloped outwardly from the metal plate to the top ball of meat (which by now was somewhat flattened), until the diameter of the meat at the top was larger than the metal plate at the bottom.
The meat was then cooked on the rotisserie, but as aforementioned, the meat would crack and break up.
In the new process, a special process of selecting beef is followed, trimming and combining of the various meat selection follows. The meat is then cut into chunks for grindding in a mechanical grinder. The beef is then ground twice.
Separately, a mixture of additive ingredients is prepared for binding and flavoring.
The ground beef is spread out on a wide surface, the additive ingredients spread over the ground beef and thoroughly kneaded into the ground beef.
The beef mixture is then molded and compressed into a cylindrical shape by the special processing equipment invented for this process, precautions being taken so that the molded meat can be lifted when the mold is removed; during the compressing an insert is placed in the center to provide a hole for the skewer. The equipment invented for this process includes the features for placing the insert into the meat.
After molding and compressing, the meat is wrapped and frozen. When it is used the molded units are placed on the skewer by inserting the skewer through the molded hole. A plastics disc, designed for this invention, is placed over the aforementioned metal plate at the bottom of the skewer. The plastics disc permits a layer unit of beef to be used and also protects the cutting edge of the carving knives.
The new process and the equipment invented for the process, have made it possible to now use beef on a vertical rotisserie without adding lamb or other meats to the beef; the beef does not crack or break up during cooking.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a process for preparing beef for cooking on a vertical rotisserie.
It is a further object of the invention to provide processing equipment for preparing beef for cooking on a vertical rotisserie.
Another object of the invention is to provide a process for returning ground beef to a more or less solid form that eliminates the need for lamb or other meats for preparing beef for cooking on a vertical rotisserie.
It is another object of the invention to provide a process and process equipment for preparing beef in symmetrical sizes for cooking on a vertical rotisserie that will permit cooking without cracks developing in the meat or without the meat breaking up during cooking.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in light of the following description of the preferred embodiments.